


Conjoined

by EmisEmerald



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Blood, Bottom Will Graham, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, Hannibal bottom, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Manipulative Hannibal Lecter, Murder, MurderHusbands, Possessive Behavior, Smutsmutsmut, Stalking, Top Hannibal Lecter, Top Will, Will aching for Hannibal, Will being confused, somefluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:28:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27635462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmisEmerald/pseuds/EmisEmerald
Summary: Will Graham wakes up with the sound of the ocean after having dived into death, much to his irritation. His mind is haunted by the night of his rebirth, but more frustrating, Hannibal Lecter is always sneaking in the corner of his mind. Sometimes fully clothed and sometimes...not. While recovering in the hospital, he aches in pain and aches for his cannibal, but is he even alive? If so, can Will ever find him again in this new life, filled with dark urges and brutal desires?
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 9
Kudos: 29





	1. Two Bloodied Roses

The cold waves washed over my feet rhythmically, over and over again. The sharp blue sky hung over me and threatened to crush me for just existing. The tiniest of sand corns had crawled into the wounds that covered me as if: “Hey, look at this sad bitch, let’s make his life worse!” All I could do was groan with the fever and piercing pain numbing me, clutching to the small skies drifting past. They have no idea what I’m going through, just soaring on by. Other people looking up also have no idea. Only one who knows is the sand. Although it might hurt me, at least it understands me. By hurting me, it somehow makes me stronger. Keeping me sharp and conscious, even though I’d rather not be. It also grounds me, saving me from the ocean and sky trying to swallow me up. My anchor. It must be now. God knows where Hannibal is or if he even survived. Not that God would be much inclined to tell because he knows what path I’ll take, even if I still doubt it. Somehow, it seemed silly for him to die like that, a being so far beyond this mortal realm. Yet it would be rather anticlimactic for him to die by me and I live when I finally...Finally understood him truly. Understood myself. What he wanted. What I wanted. When I finally fucking accepted the blissful nightmare I ached for. I hate this. I can’t even die properly.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
If I hear that ‘BIP’ one more time, I swear to God ’ll find another cliff. My eyes drifted to the guilty monitor, the blue and red pinging up and down to draw a picture of my beating heart. So it’s still beating. I’m not sure how Hannibal managed to defy me my death, but no doubt it’s somehow linked to his great scheme. Despite the pain screaming for me not to move the slightest, I scoff with immediate regret. I might not be dead, but trapped in this body it feels like I should be. Hell, I know I should be, no matter the condition I am. That was my plan. My...design, but noooo, God, or Satan(or both or Hannibal), wants to play more. I don’t want to play because I feel like I lost already. However, maybe there’s a win in all this losing. There must be because after that night, a whole other game started. Another me is playing now.

“Will? Will, try not to move” The monitor protest with a heightened 'BIP' as I hear Jack’s voice reaching out to me. A sturdy hand gently pressed my shoulder as if to keep down when all I ever did was scoff at my morality. Dazed, I look back up at him. Everything that doesn’t involve moonlight and the way it turned blood black feels like some far-off dream. 

“Jack? Relax, I’m in no state to escape” I let out another hoarse scoff, committed to disobey whatever the body desired. Not an unfamiliar fight. 

“I noticed” Jack says bluntly before collapsing into a chair with a deep sigh, as if he carried the world on his shoulders. “Jesus Christ Will…” 

“No, Jesus used 3 days to come back. I had what? A day?” I smirk proud of that one, powering through the pain like it wasn’t there. I’m tired of affirming the expert in behavior sciences thoughts about me all the time. The broken tea-cup or mug or china. 

“Well, actually, you only woke up now so that is about 3 days” And my pride shattered and my smirk crept up on Jack’s lips instead. “Guess you’re more holy than you thought” I caught a laugh in my throat. Just the idea of that was beyond bizarre. At least, I’m not holy in your traditional sense. Maybe in Hannibal’s definition of it. I can imagine him seeing me as some angel he has to corrupt, to turn my back to the light. Pluck all the white feathers and only leave the dark feathers in my broken wings instead. Oh, how far I have fallen! In the metaphorical and the literal. Just like that, I cracked another smile with my eyes glistening, like when the moonlight danced on top of the waves. “Uhm, Will?” Shit, right, he’s still here. I swallow my excitement again. Even I can understand it might not be completely appropriate. 

“Yeah? Right, holy, that’s me” I hang up a tight smile to which Jack just shakes his head to.

“Just how much do we need to balance between life and death before we can finally bring him down? For good. How many times have we been inches away from our last breath? When will it be over?” Jack sighs again, his hand dragging over his face as if he could just wash it off. What the hell am I supposed to say to that? He craves justice and he wants me to crave it with the determination of a bloodhound. I am drowning in the scent of blood, of Hannibal’s art, but the problem is that the scent doesn’t really bother as much as it should. It’s dangerous yet so intoxicating. 

“I doubt we did any of the balancing. He did that all for us. We’d only get our last breath if he wanted it and it won’t be over until he wants it to be” A thrill bounced down my spine as I spoke it into existence. Hannibal holds all the cards and no matter how many tricks up our sleeves we think we have, he has a flush for it all. 

“Not if I can help it” By the way his tone dialed down to an angry bass, I could tell he wasn’t very pleased. Not that it would take an FBI profiler to understand that. 

“I’m done playing his game by HIS rules. From now on, I’m playing by my own damn rules” Funny, I was also restarting the game.

“Your rules according to the FBI or are you done with them too?” 

“FBI might have caught him once- “ Ha, right! Not like he just surrendered or anything! Whatever makes you sleep at night. “- but it won’t work again. Not the same way. What was it you said? Catch a fish once and it gets away, it’s a lot harder to catch again. And now our fish has escaped three times.. So we need to change the bait. Again. Which is why I also need you to be upfront me, tell me every detail.” He sat up in his chair and leaned forward, his eyes so intense it was like he was trying to hollow my eyes out. Great, so now we got a rogue FBI agent on our hands? Shit, how are we gonna- Wait… We? Am I-Am I a part of this now? Of Hannibal? Am I really going to just let myself conjoin with him and not even try and separate? Of course I wouldn’t, I said it to him before. Without him, I’d wither and die. He must be pleased with this. Me in the perfect position to gather all the information we need. 

In one moment it was just me and Jack, but in the next, Hannibal was sitting in the shadows in the corner. The meticulous statue where every little movement meant something. He was wearing that gorgeous grin with those soft lips curving up like tender silk, amused and intrigued. The smile he’d get when I’ve indulged my dark urges. The eyes as sharp as knives with a roaring desire to devour me whole. His slender leg crossed over the other, his intricate hands placed in his lap like a king observing his peasant. Without saying a word, he loosens his tie antagonizing slow with the top buttons going off, revealing the glistening skin and curly chest hair. My tongue was dancing on its own in my mouth, barely resisting to throw myself over and taste him. A blinding spark of bloody desire dashed down to my groin. My body turned into a wildfire with no way of taming it. Fuck, I want him. Why do I want him? I know he’d be as quick to bite me as he was to cut me, but even then I wanted him to. Bite me, cut me, tear me the fuck apart, I don’t care. I just want him to dominate me like the way he wants. I want him to lose his mind to the pleasure I can give, to surrender to his darkest burning fantasy. I want to hear him grunt, to feel his hot breath down my neck, to feel the cold edge of a knife across my stomach. Blood trailing down from wherever he bit me, from wherever he marked me. We wouldn’t just be conjoined, we’d be one.  
“Good boy” He would purr with a dark and yearning voice. At least in my head he sounds like that, doubt he’ll ever show such a human trait in the real world. However, imagining hearing that, hearing I pleased him made my dick pound and helplessly beg for him to reward me, to fuck me. As requested, Hannibal cuts off his belt with the knife and if I squinted, I could see a hard bulge forming underneath. I wonder how big he would be, how it would feel to have him throb relent-

“WILL!” Jack’s voice screamed through the wall between me and my fantasy, pulling me back to reality. And Hannibal was gone. What the fuck is wrong me!? How the hell did I end up there?! NOW?! With Jack less than a meter away!? Fuck, I’m really fucked up, I’m usually better at digging that stuff down, but when it comes to him… Shit. No...Noo, please tell me that...I didn’t… But yep! No denying it, I was rock-hard and it was fucking obvious underneath the blanket. My face burned in mortification and most tempting right now was to cut Jack’s eyes out and dig myself a grave. All I could hope for was for him to ignore it and pretend he never saw anything. Please God, if you’re out there. In a desperate attempt to save the little pride I had left, I squirmed underneath the blanket with a distracting cough to clear my throat and sat up with my one leg more raised than my boner. God. I can see his eyes dart at the tent I sat up and his eyes go wide. I just pray he never saw a thing, but I doubt it’s any use. 

“Yeah, what?!” I hissed more aggressively than intended, but it did the job. Jack tears his eyes off the pointy stick and returns to my eyes, although he is squinting now. Probably trying to crack the code of what just happened to me. Good luck with that, not even I have the answer to that.

“You are going to tell me, aren’t you? You need to tell me” I cast an awkward smile and I figure a little more aggressiveness can’t hurt, you know, just to make the embarrassment go away.

“Weird, usually now would be the time where you think I joined my murder husband as we slashed up our body-count” Okay, maybe not the brightest idea to bring up, but the irritation was an itch I need to scratch. Especially knowing that they were all think of me as some lost puppy with a fucked-up owner and that the leash on me was slowly but surely ripping apart. 

“God damn it, Will! You think I don’t want to give you the benefit of the doubt? But can you really blame me or anyone else for thinking that might be the case? When it comes to him, you are always involved, one way or the other. Especially when he escaped with you. And here I am, trying, TRYING, to help you, but I can’t if you’re too busy being sassy” Okay, he has a point. I’m not really helping myself or Hannibal right now. Plus, the boner has the worst timing. 

“Fine, I’m sorry. It’s not like falling off a cliff brings out the best in anyone” Does it? I am...reborn, but few people would describe that as the ‘best’ version of me. Actually, just one person would. I sigh troubled as I wanted to find him just as much as Jack did. However I doubt we want to do the same thing...I have no idea what I will do. Try and kill both of us again? Maybe this time it won’t be the ocean to swallow us, but blood. A wondrous slaughter tearing us both apart. I don’t really see another way. 

“Just don’t bring that sass to Kate or anyone else in the FBI. We, I, need to hear your story so we can confirm it, prove it. So you fell of a cliff? ” That’s a nice way of putting: ‘You’re guilty, but I don’t want you to be so convince me otherwise’. I take a deep breath before leaping into the bushes of thorns.

“Yes, more or less. After the attack on the prisoner van, he brought me into this fancy secluded house, near said cliff.” I look at him while choking my galloping heart in my throat. 

“We found the place...And the body” He says bluntly, his eyes unfaltering. They must know it wasn’t his design. And by the way we slaughtered the Red Dragon, they must know it couldn’t have just been him. It was our design. Art we created together. 

“The Great Red Dragon. Not so great as he thought” I snorted at myself, but I can’t deny that he became great after his rebirth. He reached a realm beyond us and he stretched his wings and flew. I wanted that for us too, Hannibal. Why didn’t you let me? 

“Yes, but you better not say that shit in the trial” Jack’s face seeks comfort in the palm of his hand, clearly tired of it all. Now that I think about it, he had huge bags under his eyes. He hasn’t slept for a couple of days. 

“It was self-defense” 

“Let’s hope the jury believes that. That you defended yourself from both him and the dragon” He’s putting the words in my mouth, assuming what he wants from the situation. “So how did it go from that to falling off the cliff?”

“I jumped” Honesty can get you far, if I’ve learned anything from Hannibal. To the world and myself. That response got a fire under Jack’s ass and he snuggled closer to my bed. Shock, confused, but sympathetic. I realized I should probably elaborate, but as I opened my mouth, a warm melody came from Jack’s pocket. Ha, I’m like a jukebox, open my mouth and music will play! I watched as Jack struggled to get the phone out until he finally answered. I wasn’t initially interested, but the way his pupil dilated and his hand clutching to the armrest told me all I needed to know. I’ve only seen him like this when Hannibal was involved. 

“I’m on my way. Put some agents outside Will Graham’s door, I am NOT letting that bastard disappear again” Jack bolts up from his chair, stiff like a log. My body copies his response and I sit up too, mentally preparing to drag myself out of bed. No way I’m letting Hannibal deal with the loose canon known as Jack all alone. I need to be there, protect him, I know how Jack works, I can’t lose him, not again. Not like this. By my design or by no design at all. I tear the sheets off me, but before I can jump out, his firm hand pushes me back on the bed.

“Oh, don’t even think about it! You’re staying right here, you’ve done more than enough. I got this, Will” Jack gives a nod that no doubt was supposed to be reassuring, but it only edged me closer to panic. Jack didn’t trust me. That must be why he doesn’t want me to come with. But if Hannibal is alive, I need to be there… But not like I can move much in this state. I couldn’t move freely either if I wanted, not with those hawk eyes over me. No, I can sneak out after and find him. Hannibal must have a plan for it, I just need to trust that he does. He always does… If he still wants me. I transformed for him. He’s not really going to let me rot, is he? No, if anything, he’d let me fly my own path, but I don’t want to fly my own path. I want to fly the path meant for us, him and me, side by side. Even if that means our heart stops beating. I can’t, won’t, fly without him. I knew I needed to embrace him and every dark side of him while we dive into death.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
An hour tick by and for each tick my bed glued tighter against my skin. My bandaged body complained by just changing position and my head hurt just thinking of a way past the guards. They got here faster than I anticipated, but it wouldn’t do much good either way if they saw me gone. Restless, I look at the droplets sliding down the window and at the one sharp light of the moon penetrating the dark room. In comparison to that night of blood and beauty, the moon was cut and hollowed out. Incomplete. Huge parts of it hidden. Just like me. Lord, now I’m relating to the damn moon, I really am similar to Hannibal. Feeling like I’m above this earth and stone. Wonder what he compares himself to? The sun maybe, blazing and enlightening people with darkness left and right. Giving us life and purpose, but he is just as quick to give it away. 

The chaotic serenity cracked as red blinking lights intruded into my room and down in the streets below an ambulance parked outside the hospital doors. A crawling fear possessed me as the image of a severely hurt Hannibal was rolled out of that ambulance. With my body frozen and while holding my breath, I tracked the bed they carried out. Thank God, there is way too much meat on those bones for it to be him. The relief settled like a light breeze and it was calming enough for me to fall asleep right then and there. However, a hovering shadow just beyond a street lamp beckoned me. Something about its shape, its elegant pose and amused hazel eyes was simply captivating. The shape took one delicate step towards the light and it smiled that famous wry grin. My heart spun with fear, excitement and relief. Every nerve in me was electrocuted and malfunctioned my entire chaos of thoughts. He’s here. He’s really here. Right outside. How the fuck does he look so good? Last time I saw him he was covered in blood and battle wounds, but he was standing there as if he had just gotten scratched. Not like the whole department of the FBI is after you or anything, but you don’t even worry yourself with such meaningless matters. You’re probably as cool as an icicle in the scorching desert. Fuck, this is my chance. Before my brain could catch up to my instincts, I stumbled out of bed, ripping out all IV’s and medical tubes attached. By the pain, I must have ripped a few stitches apart too, but it didn’t matter. I had to get to you. End us. Or at least the chapter of whatever this is. I stop right outside the door. It was like it was taunting me and the guards talking outside reminded me this was a bad idea. I ran like a cat thrown in water towards the window, but my heart sank to my stomach. You were gone… Were you teasing me too? ‘Dearest Will, you are a failure. You can’t even follow your own design.’ My version of your voice echoed through my soul and I figured this is exactly what you wanted, but I’ve been wrong about you before. Defeated, I stumble back to my bed. If you didn’t want me to come to you, you wouldn’t allow it. That’s why you’ve retreated back to the shadows. I sigh exhausted and decided then and there: I was going to find you again even if I had to die all over again.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The forest was dense and threatening, yet I felt at home. Scattered pools of blood lied in front of me, but the sound of classical music filled my ears. Music you would listen to. To my right was a magnificent and rosebush. Two of the roses stained red with blood, far apart from the rest of them. It didn’t stop them though. They kept growing, larger and larger until it covered every tree and pressing up against me. Swallowing me. I laugh overjoyed and lift my arms out, accepting it. Allowing it to stain me as well.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
With a hot fever coursing through me, I woke up. Early days of the sun spread across the room and my heavy eyes landed on the bedside table. A magnificent bouquet of all colors stood there. Yellow, blue, purple and a dash of red, all different flowers. However, it was the black roses in the middle that transformed into a masterpiece. Two black roses tied together in a red ribbon. Fully bloomed. No card. Was it his design for me?


	2. First contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will grows more and more restless, the distance between him and Hannibal leaving him yearning. He needs to find a way to find him before he goes crazy.

The flowers were nice and all, but it’s a little bit TOO obvious when people drop by. ‘Oh, it’s just from the most wanted serial killer, isn’t that just the sweetest thing?’ Besides, I’m not sure my wife would be too thrilled about that so I dumped it in the trash. Even surrounded by filth, the two black roses still stood proud, intertwined. Seeing it, a crack tore open in my chest, but it would be a lot worse if they knew you had been here. 

In the following couple of days, my wife, Alana and Jack were regular visitors at the hospital. One to inquire about my health, one to inquire about my mental state and one to help him catch a serial killer. I can’t really complain, but I will anyway. Mary would seem as caring as ever, bringing food and a sympathetic eye, but she was...shifty. Never looking at me too long and the awkward silence was suffocating. She didn’t know what to say and I didn’t have it in me to come up with something. The carefree banter was non-existent and it was clear as to why. She didn’t trust me either. Of all people you’d think at least your wife would have your back, but even she seemed to think I’ve orchestrated the whole escape or that I was involved somehow. It was exhausting, but I can’t say I regret it. Well, except for one thing. I wish I had died with him, that we‘d gone down in a glorious dark fire and ended the book of us. Instead, I was trapped here. Without you. 

Another week goes by, the sun rising and setting, but it was at night I came alive. My eyes were peeled to every nook and cranny on the streets and I even patrolled down the corridors looking for you. With the bodyguards scurrying behind me, maybe it was just as well I didn’t find you. Yet, it was like my body was moving on its own. I was devoured by the want to see you, touch you, hurt you, taste you...save you. To see your fascinated smile, see the blood pour out of where I bite you and feel your tender hands keeping me steady. Imagining you wasn’t enough, if anything, it was driving me crazy. Each day you’d fade just a little, your vivid image blurring and I try so hard to keep you fresh. Not like I can ever forget you even if I wanted to, but I needed to remember exactly how you were. How your mouth twitched and how you moved across a room, like the most dangerous lion. I tried to imagine you without the shirt (without anything to be honest), but whatever thrilling view I made, it would probably leave the real you in shame. Who could ever paint the divine accurately? Another reason for me to find you. Huh, I guess my wife does have some right to be suspicious considering how many hours I dream of you. I’ve been a lot more careful to avoid any more unfortunate boner moments though, so it shouldn’t be any reason for her to believe I was hungry for anybody else. At the end of the day, it didn’t matter because I was able to move by myself eventually. When I finally could, I demanded to be discharged and I assured the guards they wouldn’t be necessary anymore. I added a little ‘Jack said so’ to them, but, of course, the guards rang Jack not long after, but I was stomping out of there as fast as my broken body could carry me. 

I dug out every last penny I had in my dusty pants just to get a cab. At least one perk of working with the FBI is that you’d never worry if you have enough for a cab. You’ll be too busy worrying about your trauma instead. The cab was warm and the stuttering of the motor was oddly comforting. Thank God the driver was one of the silent ones. Or maybe the death stares I gave each time he opened his mouth shut him up. Either way, I just wanted to get home. Home, my official home, should be the place I ached for right now, but I can’t. My wife thinks some broken man of Will Graham still could be seen through the cracks, but it’s not. She’s not who she thinks I am. Not the one she wants me to be. Besides, it never did feel like home. Says something about how fucked up I am when a home needs blood and terror to feel safe, or at least familiar. The only reasonable option for me then was to check into a motel for now. Get my whereabouts. Get Hannibal's whereabouts. Jack had been on his trail, but by the way he kept coming back to me, told me he wasn’t even close. Might be that he-

“...shocked the neighbour. A young man known as Earl Winston was found dead in his living room, branded with a circle symbol on his thigh. The signature of this might just be of the newly escaped Chesapeake ripper...” The radio blurted out and put a wall on my thoughts. You gotta be kidding me… We survived a death drop into the ocean AND eluded the police, but you just have to kill right now? Really?! This ain’t the time for a damn feast! If you have the time to slash and dash, why aren’t you looking for me?! I sigh irritated as I glare through the window, as if I would see you flying from rooftop to rooftop, bloodied and graceful.

Luckily, the receptionist at the motel was completely unbothered as I checked in. Usually I expect a few sceptic looks, (maybe it’s the dog shampoo I use or maybe it’s my face on TattleNews) but she was too busy looking at her nails. So getting a room and hiding in there was no big issue. I threw the small bag I had of essentials on the bed when I noticed 7 missed calls. Shit, maybe I should have been more careful about that. Jack had called 4 times, Molly twice and Alana one. Through my cracked phone screen, I hovered over the call button. I know I should call so why is it so difficult? They’re going to be scared, concerned and I should be too. Hannibal is out there in all his glory. I am anxious, but not for him to stab me in the back. I’m more worried he was just going to escape again. Away from me. I don’t know what he’s thinking or what his plan is, but what I do know is that I don’t need a FBI squad on high alert looking for me. So I call Alana. One ring. Two rings. 

“Hello, Will?” Her familiar voice was hopeful and frantic which made all of this so much worse.

“Hey, Alana” 

“Will, where are you? Jack said you just left the hospital!” 

“I’m…” I scrambled for the right words to use. “...safe. I’m okay, really. I just couldn’t stand that sound of the monitors and the nurses and all that.” On the other end, I hear her sigh, relieved and tired, but sympathetic. Always sympathetic to me. 

“I understand, but this is hardly the time to be on your own. He’s out there… And I’m not the only one he’s looking for” 

“I know” Hell, I’m hoping he’s looking for me. He better not be going for Alana, not when I’m right here. After all, I’m his sword and shield, just like he is mine. “Are you safe?” 

“Yes, me and Margot won’t be staying around. Stay somewhere he won’t find us” I couldn’t help but scoff at that. 

“You know him as much as I do. If he wants you-” Shit, I shouldn’t be saying this, should I? Not the most comforting words, even if they are true. “-then well…” 

“It’s buying us time, if nothing else. And to be honest with you, I think he’s focused on someone else right now. I think you know who that is and I doubt you’ll be safe anywhere on your own. You need to call Jack” 

“I know, I will. Just… need a little breather” The thought of diving into an investigation about him again wasn’t tempting. I could find him quicker on my own. 

“I’ve already voiced my complaints to Jack, but knowing him he probably won’t listen. He’ll want your help to find him, but no one blames if you do not want to. You’ve done more than enough, just whatever happens...Stay safe, okay?” At the end, Alana’s voice cracked a little and I bit down on my nails, just to distract me from the gutted feeling dropping in my stomach. I won’t be safe, I don’t want to be and I can’t afford to be. I’ll never be truly safe with him, but safe was overrated anyway. 

“Yeah, don’t worry. I-I won’t do anything TOO drastic. I’ll call Jack” The silence that came after made me doubt my words. 

“Don’t do ANYTHING drastic, please. Go to Molly and get some protection, okay?” She wants me to say it out loud. Confirm it to her, but mostly, to myself. Either way, I would have to lie. 

“Alright, alright...Say hi to Margot and don’t do anything I would do” With an overwhelming sense of anxiety, I abruptly hang up. I couldn’t resist the words from flowing out and I felt I owed her an ounce of honesty. She can’t do what I will do...He’ll kill her. On top of that, the whole conversation was exhausting. Alana’s a good friend to me, but I can’t give her the reassurance she so desperately seeks. My body was aching to collapse into the mediocre and probably bug-infested sheets, but I could see Jack jumping up and down, hitting the ceiling, yelling, and bending backwards trying to reach me. Although the image cracked a small smile, the conversation sure as hell won’t. 

“Where in God’s name are you?! What were you thinking?!” Good thing I had lowered the volume as low as it could go because I still had to take the phone away from my ear. His voice was like a slap in the face and his shrieks sent needles into my ears. I decided to just stay quiet, I could feel his anger about to leap into a fiery rant. 

“He’s out there and you decide to just STROLL ON OUT!? He can kill you and you’re just gonna lay yourself out there, butter all over you and screaming for his name?! It’s SUICIDAL!” The raspy inhale of Jack meant he was trying to calm down, but who knows how long that will last. 

“Look… I just need you to be safe and sound” Instinctively, my lips snarled up when I heard the word ‘need’. That’s all I ever hear from him. He needs me to be safe for his own agenda. To help catch him. Maybe, somewhere inside, he does care, but if butchering me up and marianding me in butter meant getting Hannibal, he’d do it. After all, Jack’s honor is on the line. (Not that Hannibal would be attracted to something as simple as butter). 

“And I am.” Kind of. “But parading all across town to murders with my back open with you isn’t all that tempting right now” But parade I will...Just not with Jack. 

“I...I understand. I do. I know you have been under his knife more than enough times, but you’re not going to be safe AWAY from my agents. Fine, don’t be in the hospital, but don’t run away from the protection. Where are you?” Fuck, I should have plotted some story. This might be more than about just protection. I might be a suspect who has now fled from the gruesome claw of the law which was kind of worrying considering how easy it was. So at least Jack has some faith in me otherwise I would have been stopped before. Not that he should have faith in me.

“I got my whiskey-” Accordingly, my body drags itself towards the motel bar and, thank god, a few small expensive bottles of whiskey were there. “-I got a knife aaaand-” A lightbulb switched on in my head. I quickly pulled up my laptop from the bag, pressing frantically on the power button. Come on you piece of shit, help me out here. 

“And I got zero, ZERO, tolerance for this right now! Tell me where you are. I can’t help you otherwise. When Kate and others of the FBI know you’re gone from our radar, they’ll suspect the worse. That you’re an accomplice, a...murderer. So you better tell me where you are right now” Okay, okay, good Jack, let’s just keep talking. Now if only the damn browser could pop up. 

“I’m not a murderer, but I’ll be treated as it anyway. Either that or some kind of poor, mentally ill man. And frankly, I don’t have the energy for either. I just want one, ONE, night where I can be by myself and somewhat normal, or as normal as I can get.” I swear I could hear him growling on the other side, the bomb about to go off. However, it bought me enough time to find YouTube and put on some train tracks sounds in the distance. Maybe this is dumb, but hopefully it will be confusing enough to buy some time. There’s gotta be some motels near some train tracks. 

“Don’t be like this! I can’t guarantee what others will do or how they’ll perceive you, but know that I do not think you’re a murderer or that I will coddle you. And you can have one night, just at least let there be some agents outside of whatever shithole you’re holding up in” He heard it. He heard the train tracks. A smug smile irked on my lips. 

“Alright, how about this? First thing in the morning, I’ll call you and you can set up a hundred cops around me. And I’ll get to have this one night, drinking in peace.” On the other line, I hear an exasperated sigh. 

“I don’t have a choice, do I? Fine...Call me tomorrow at the crack of dawn or else I’ll put every cop on your ass. If you die tonight, don’t blame me.” 

“Nah, don’t worry! If you’re going to miss me, I’ll just haunt you” The most irritated growl came from Jack right before he hung up and I chuckled gleefully. That worked out better than I expected. Sure, he might have tracked my position with that call, but I have a feeling he didn’t. Maybe that’s just me being optimistic, but he probably expected me that I’d tell him anything he wanted to know. That he’d be able to push and scratch at me to get whatever he needed. He’s not used to failing like that. I need to get out of there tonight, get some clue as to where Hannibal would be, but that could take days, weeks, months even. I might have to get used to some bodyguard down the line. Or a cell. But now, time for some well-earned alcohol right down my throat. 

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Black fur. Deep dark eyes. The huge antlers barge into my chest and stomach, puncturing my lungs and heart. I breathe in, but I get nothing, only the smell of a familiar perfume. Raw panic grabs at me while I struggle to get off and in the dark haze of it, I look into its round eyes. The stag was comforting, safe. I stop struggling and close my eyes. I let his poisonous antlers pour into me, the skin around the wounds turning black. Like a disease, it crawls up my skin and up every vein, drowning me in darkness. When I open up my eyes, a dark figure stands in its stead, the same antler mounted on his head. I breathe in again and I can feel the soothing air down my throat. 

As I breathe in, I fling my eyes open once again. This time, to the real world. My throat was sore with a stinky whiskey breath and my head was drilling nails into my skull. Shit, it’s so bright. Reluctantly, I stumble to close the blinds and I figure I might as well just get up. Jack was probably waiting and I had no time to waste. Hannibal was out there and I wasn’t going to let Jack keep me away. With his detective skill, we will never find him. With a yawn, I go to my phone. It loudly protested to be touched when I tried to open it and the screen was committed to only showing flashing pixels. Well, guess this is what happens when you throw your phone into the wall in frustration. After some brute force however, I was in. Proper hacker. Again there were some missed calls, but the world around me warped into the one message I had gotten. Unknown? 

This screamed important and my nerves skyrocketed. I sat back on the bed and bit down on some skin next to the nail on my thumb as I opened it. First thing I saw was a photo. My heart, which had been thundering in my throat, fell into the bottoms of my guts. What the fuck is this? It’s dark and blurry, but the event in it was clear. The picture was taken from a far, but zoomed in. A dirty yard, if you can even call it a yard, had brown spots all over. Clearly, no one cared much for this place. Metal trash was thrown around and the only way I could see anything was thanks to a lightsource from a house at the left of the picture. In the middle, a thin, short and angry man was holding a baseball bat, about to send it crushing down on some poor dog. The dog, a white pitbull, whimpered and curled backwards, pleading up to him. Crying almost. It was hard to see exactly how long this had been going on, but some big scars were across its body and one of its eyes was messed up. Not only that, but it was also a symbol branded into the side of it’s back, like how farmers mark their cows. This...This is fucking disgusting. I imagined one of my own dogs treated like that (which I really miss) and my bowels threatened to come puking up. With a howling rage, I scanned the image like evidence. Who is this fucker? Whoever I was disappeared and I morphed into something else. Something with just one violent desire, covered in black poison. If I squinted real hard, I could see parts of a tribal tattoo painted up the bastard’s neck. I noted it down into my mental case folder. Shadows cowered around the place and my mind up it’s own evidence, but I knew there weren't any other clues.

I stare at it, devoted and brutal, for another few minutes, but when I start to think I see some aliens in there, I finally blink my eyes. I let out a growling sigh from the back of my throat as I fell backwards into the bed, lying on my back for a second to process it. However, I failed at calming down. The roaring want to find this guy led me to forget the most obvious thing...Who even sent this text? God, how stupid am I? I bolted back up and stared at the image again. I exited out of it and there was text added below it. 

Rude, isn’t it? Love, Anonymous 

…’Love’... Who the hell would write ‘love’ as a way to end a text? This can’t be a millennial or younger, unless they are trying to cover that fact. No, why would they bother? They are agitating me, messing with me, but to what end? It’s like they want me to go and ki- Oh. Ooooh… Of course, of course it’s fucking him, no one else would write like that! Fucking anonymous my ass. Always keeping up the snobby act, but I couldn’t be too annoyed. Relief washed over me and it was like Hannibal was right next to me. Slowly caressing his hands up my arms, rubbing the tense muscles on my back and whispering sweet promises into my ear. So he was alive, no doubt now, he’s alive. I smile like a starstruck teenager who is about to meet the popstar they worship. Hannibal went out of his way to find this guy, stalk him and send this to me. Hunted by the police, he still took time to do this. He hasn’t left me. He wants me to track him down. He wants me to tear out his throat and let the ‘El Monstro’ inside me feast on the pleasure of it. More than that. To complete myself. Complete the purge of the fake light that has haunted me for all these years. If he seriously thinks I am that easily manipulated then he’s not entirely wrong. Fuck, I want to. I’ve never been able to predict him, but he’s never failed to bring out those delightful wrong sides of me. Although with him...Maybe not so wrong. I take one more glance at the text and one word keeps floating up to me. The ‘love’ so neatly curved at the end brought some treacherous butterflies in my stomach...Wielding knives and dancing around my heart, threatening to slice it apart. It’s silly that one word used that way could even affect me, but there was no stopping it. It’s so dangerous, so dangerous to feel this way, so easy to break me, but hell...I’m already broken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter might not have a lot of action, but it will go crazy next chapter ;) 
> 
> I was going to post this sooner, but I forgot to actually upload so I ended up continuing writing like A FOOL! But that means chapter 3 will come sooner rather than later!


	3. The Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will goes to investigate the crime scene so nicely made from Hannibal. However, what he discovers unravels whatever had held him leashed before. With the promise of blood in the air, Will goes hunting.

I shug down a cup of coffee and desperately try to tame my hair. The curls branching out on their own, as if trying to make a mini version of antlers. I pushed it down enough so it didn’t look like I came right out of a cave and I stumbled out of the motel. The frantic attempts to misguide Jack away from my motel proved pointless. I bet Hannibal wouldn’t make such rushed decision and fuck up like that. Not that I couldn’t go through with it, but it was more that running off to find Hannibal is the worst route to go. I’m not as skilled to dodge the police, I’d be found in no time. More importantly, the lady on the radio when I was in the cab yesterday sang those words ‘branded’. The Chesepeake Ripper’s body had, supposedly, been branded. Like the dog had been branded. Maybe it wasn’t a part of some feast, maybe it was to guide me to the asshole dog abuser. The fearful hope that Hannibal killed a guy, putting his own life at risk, just to help me, made my chest burst. There is no way in hell I’m not accepting this gift, however horrid some people might find it. So I agreed to go to the crime scene. He lifted the usual weak worries, but of course figures my mind is as sane as could be and happily let me join.

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I walked towards Jack, who was wrapped up tight in a long grey coat. In comparison to him, I was like a hobo. I had just scrambled up some shabby clothes to be somewhat acceptable. Still, when he saw me, he cracked a smile. 

“Will, it’s good to see you!” Jack took a few steps towards me and patted my shoulder, in which I put every strength into not tensing up and shifting away. Behind him was Zeller and Price, waving and smiling as if this was just some nice reunion. As if I hadn’t fallen off a cliff and maybe helped the Chesapeake Ripper escape. I appreciated that. 

“Heya Will, did you miss me?” Zeller said and accompanied it with a dramatic gesture to his chest. 

“No, he didn’t, just me, right?” Price chimed in, just as fashionable dramatic. For the first time in a long time, I chuckled genuinely. 

“I did miss some chocolate and flowers from you guys while I was fighting for my life, but never too late, no?” I shot a quick and playful glance in their direction, although I was bending backwards to come up with some banter. I didn’t know what to do with my arms so they just hung along my sides and I looked over at the door, where some policemen were strolling out of the door. Price and Zeller exchange some guilty looks.

“Well, next time you fall off a cliff, I’ll come with all the chocolate you want” Zeller added, a smile still smeared on. 

“And I’ll bring the flowers!” Price sang out like it was a happy occasion. 

“Guess I’ll go scouting for some cliffs soon then” I said, but apparently, it didn’t come out as joyful judging by their uncertain eyes. Ding dong, that was Jack’s clue to interrupt our fun. 

“Alright now, I’m just glad you changed your mind. We really could use your help here. Prepare yourself, it’s no cliff, but it’s quite the view” Jack grew restless with our talk and took a hand at the back of my shoulder again. Ugh, why does he keep doing that? To keep me tense? Or is he just staying ready in case I try to run? 

Jack led me through the doors, small creaks of light shimmering inside the room and spraying across the wooden floor. The spotlight was on the pale and putrefied corpse positioned in the middle of the living room. It reeked it’s foul odor in a thick layer in the room, but it wasn’t exactly a new sensation. It was on its hands and knees, it’s hollowed face confronting whatever God there is in the sky. Begging for mercy. Several rough chains were bolstered into the wall and led down to the corpse. On the other end, the chains were hooked on his skin, stretching it out. It was leashed tight and forced it to stay in place. As expected, some organs were taken and there was a circle brand on his upper-thigh. What was not expected however was that I would recognize it. That’s...That’s the same mark as on the dog from the photo! The deceitful clouds lifted and it became clear as day. It wasn’t some great religious act to repent to God that happened here, or at least not just that. It was on his hands and knees. Like a dog. Chained up like a dog with dog chains, caged. The man becoming the animal he so much hated and abused. There was a mouth-watering justice served here. The heart poured into this overcomes the stench of the room and is replaced by an aroma of sweets. I’d eat it this feeling if I could, the appetite brought by the justice of it. The view made my heart spin and crash into love and made my body burn with ecstasy. Fuck, he truly is an artist, but I can’t stand here and drool in front of the FBI. Instead, I savored it and stored it in my messy mind palace, shutting the entrance to it. Focus, Will, this corpse and that photo was connected and Hannibal made sure I would see it. There’s a clue hidden here, I just need to-

“Will? What do you see?” I almost jumped out of my skin when Jack spoke behind me and I had halfway forgotten what I pretended to be here for. I clear my throat and cook my words carefully. 

“The killer gave it a chance for redemption, to repent” 

“It?” Jack says concerned. I mentally bitch-slap myself for that. On the outside, I put on a distressed shaking head.

“Hi-him. Earl” God, change the subject Will, change the fucking subject. “Whatever this guy has done, the killer found it sinful and made sure he got punished for it. But still, he wouldn’t think of himself as evil. After all, he’s giving Earl a shot at heaven.” Now that was just plain wrong, I can’t even imagine Hannibal giving his cattle a teary chance to plead to him. Cattle don't have funerals. Cattle isn’t buried, it’s butchered. 

“No point in beating around the bush. It’s not just some killer, it’s Hannibal” 

“Right.” Silence lay as thick as the corpse‘s stench when I heard a small dying voice whisper. ‘Will, there is a right way to do things. You can catch the fucker and put him behind bars. Let the law do it’s thing.’ As soon as the law was in the picture, the voice shut up. Even that voice knows that the law hasn’t done anything right by me. Most likely the guy would get a slap on the wrist and serve a few years, if even that. 

“It’s unnerving to think about, but we have to face it if we are going to have any chance to find him” But I don’t want you to find him.

“Yeah… Knowing him, Hannibal, there’s a message here for us. Maybe a foresight as to how he’ll want us to plead to him?” Hmm, now that might not be completely off. For the other on Hannibal’s menu at least. It’s not meant for me, I won't be pleading, not like that anyway. I could be on all fours for him. Hannibal leaning backwards on some 1800s couch and me crawling towards him, feral and hungry. Hannibal would smile smitten and wait for me to come for him, like he always does. His legs would be spread wide and I would squeeze his juicy thigh before OH MY GOD! I really have no shame! Why does it always happen in the worst places, with Jack around!? Fuck, maybe it’s unavoidable considering how much I think about it. When I had gathered my feverish senses, Jack frowned sceptical in my direction. His eyes drilled into me, searching for some hidden secret in what I said, or worse, in what I thought. My nerves twist in on themselves imagining being exposed like this. However, whatever suspicions Jack had, he kept it to himself. 

“Maybe. But in the bottom line, we were all just extras in his play. You were the main character. Somehow, surely, this must be personalized to you” Jack looks at me, expecting me to shoot out a magnificent theory out of my ass. It’s like being under a magnifying glass, scrutinized.

“I realize that'' I make sure to sigh troubled as I cast a glance at the corpe. Jack wants me to feed him, but all I can afford to give is dirt. I turn around and give him the best annoyed mask I have. “But if I could completely read him, like some kind of telepath, then we wouldn’t even be here, would we? I might think I know what he’s up to, but it wouldn’t be the first time I’m wrong” 

“This ain’t the time for self-doubt. Yes, maybe you can never know a 100% his next move, but you’re the best shot we got, damn it! I need you to pull yourself together, Will. Lives are at stake, not to mention your own” As Jack and his presence hovered over me, I was worried I might just get squashed. I stand back up and face him, looking directly at the bridge of his nose. A neat trick to pretend to have eye-contact. 

“You don’t think I know that?! I...just-I just- Give me a second to think, please!” I say surprisingly honest. I need a second to figure out a compelling theory. Somehow, that of all things hit Jack’s soft spot. Maybe he does have some respect for my limits. Or maybe it was my lost puppy dog eyes. 

“Fine, fine. I’ll be nearby, let me know when you got something” He nods understanding to me before he marches away, leaving me alone again by the cattle. I swing my head around, taking a closer look at the chains. Whatever story I had to vomit to Jack had to wait until I could properly see Hannibal’s clue. The chains were rusty and old, it was kind of surprising it managed to hold him together. I stroll further along the wall, crouching under the chains where need be. On the wall, there are pictures of himself, family, friends, but no dogs. Can’t say I’m surprised, having a beat up dog in the photo would be to ask for an arrest. If he really is a part of this dogfight scheme, he isn't showing it. He’s smiling like your favorite neighbour, his mother a warm and welcoming face. His friends seemed close, linked together and posing in front of some vintage red truck. On the outside he lived a perfectly- Wait a minute… My turn to scrutinize. I lean closer to the photo of his friends, dragging my eyes so it’s only inches apart. The black ink on the neck caught my attention and now it’s no doubt. The tattoo bends and shapes exactly like the photo and the hair matches them together in complete harmony. Standing there and seeing my prey right before me, frooze me to the ground. Without realizing, my hands were clenched into a fist. I squeeze hard enough to turn my knuckles bright white and my short nails digging into my flesh. My senses were on high-alert and my mind crystal clear. So this is how it feels like. How it feels to own your twisted power. 

The longer I look, the more I realized: This clue was almost too easy. Hannibal would usually make me face challenges, to challenge me to understand him and his thinking, but this wasn’t that. It was a time problem. We don’t have much time and I already understand him, big parts of him anyway. Big enough. Who knows what else there is to him? What else can he show me? I bet there’s a hundred things I don’t know. I don’t even know his favorite movie. Something artsy and macabre, avant-garde probably. I’d fucking hate a movie night with him, but maybe not so bad with his hand around me, his heat- Okay, getting sidetracked here. Again. Point is he wanted me to find the guy sooner rather than later. The real challenge wasn’t finding the guy, it was dealing with him. Hopefully, Hannibal will give me the same challenges when it comes to himself. 

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Jeffrey Winchester. That’s the name imprinted in my skull, surging my power to the hunt. Ask enough around and finding Earl’s friends was easy enough. When you have a name, finding an address isn’t that hard either. The sun beaming in my face didn’t exactly reflect my thoughts, it was more a contradiction. I was leaning my head against a cold window, closing my eyes as it somewhat warmed me. Finally, I had gotten away from the crime-scene and far away from Jack, not to mention, closer to Jeffrey. I managed to pump out some vague theories of the murder, enough truth in them for Jack to accept it, but it feels like I haven’t really gotten away with yet. Right now, I was in a police car, escorted by one of Jack’s finest men. It was like my world of night had been sliced off and I was trapped in some kid's dream. However, the prying eyes of the officers kept reminding me of where I really was. It truly feels like I’m being watched more than being protected. Luckily, they were willing for me to stay at a motel, which I insisted on, and I made sure people knew I did it to not put Mary in danger. Which is true to certain extent, but it was the thrill of the hunt that kept pounding in the back of my head. I call it hunt, but I don’t if I can pull the trigger. Not by myself. With Hannibal I was strong, built to withstand the raging of the ocean, but without him? I was drowning alone, dying to a simple wave. It turns me blind. I can’t see who I am, only who people want me to be. These things never reconcile. Except when it comes to him. He’s always the exception. When he looks at me, I am stripped bare to the bone, every dark and light version of me revealed raw. Hannibal accepts me, for who he thinks I will become, but the problem is: I still have this one last ritual to do. A ritual I want to do, need to do, but is it the right thing to do? The answer should be a clear ‘no’ and a quivering whisper in me agreed, but every dark cell of me screamed ‘yes’. Can I even do it? Can I create my own art? My own design? 

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In the background trash tv poured into my ears as my eyes watched every tick on the clock above it. It’s the longest hours of my life, but at least it gave me sometime to think. To think about how Jeffrey’s blissful smile would turn into a straight, dead line when I get my nails into him. It carried me through the painful waiting. The room was as dull as any other one-star motel room, but it was my five-star chance to get alone and out. There were two cops placed right outside my door, but I was on the first floor. The bathroom window had a small crack to slither through, leading to the back of the motel. It was littered with boxes and trash, but it was dark. Dark enough to slip out unseen. All I had to do was wait for two new cops to take over their watch and, according to the conversation I so conveniently overheard, it was at one o’clock. Just one more hour. 

Soon enough the clock turned one. The new guards that were now on guard duty greeted me before they headed outside, sipping some cheap coffee. Now that they know I’m here, this is my chance. Just a small window of time to get back here and pretend like nothing. If I even was getting back. Fuck, I’ve had hours to think about this, but NOW it’s like marching into a coffin. Yet, I was entranced and I know Hannibal has scouted it beforehand. He wouldn’t send me into some dangerous trap… Or he would, but not without reason. I need to figure out that reason. I fling open the closets and pillages the sheets in there before walking over to the bed. It wasn’t my proudest work, but if they only glanced in, it would look like I was sleeping under the covers. Good enough. I walked into the bathroom and took a deep breath while I scanned the window. It’s gonna be tight and painful, but possible. My body was still sore and bruised from the fall so when the frames clenched around me when I crawled through, I let out a silenced yelp. Shit, I’m not gonna let a damn window stop me, stop me from getting closer to Hannibal or stop me from crucifying Jeffrey. After wiggling and squirming, I eventually dropped onto the hard ground beneath me. I was free, but not without scratches. I briefly touched my stomach and oh yeah, I definitely got some burn mark just doing some window parkour. However, it wasn’t worse than what that poor dog was going through. Hold on, buddy, I’ll get you and your piece of shit owner. I tip-toe alongside the alleyway, making my way to the parking lot. As I reached the corner, I peeked around it.

“Dude, we are probably babysitting some murderer, this is bullshit! I was supposed to meet Brittany tonight, but nooo” I could hear generic guard number 2 complain while stuffing his face with some cheap nachos. For being in close proximity with a murderer, you sure aren’t worried, huh? 

“Oh, you and Brittany still a thing? Thought she threw you out” It was generic guard number 1’s turn to talk and he was stuffing his face too. Good, they didn’t seem too worried at all although I wondered if they would even get up if I screamed. Oh well, it didn’t really matter. I was far enough away for them not to notice me so I walked casually towards the street. Even if I didn’t turn, I could feel their eyes scorch into my neck, but it must be in my mind otherwise they would do something. I couldn’t afford to double check, if I looked back it was game over. My heart raced for each step I took, but it also made me braver. Stronger. I felt like an ominous storm, angry and unstoppable while I walked down the streets away from the motel. 

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It was easy enough to catch a cab and direct him a few blocks away from Jeffrey fucking Winchester. I tossed him whatever coins he wanted and stepped out into the cold starlit night. The neighbourhood was overall a stinky mess and only a few streetlamps worked out here. Even those that were on often flickered. I took a deep breath and exhaled, a cloud of mist came out from the cold. I was alive. Sometimes I’d forget when I don’t have Hannibal around to remind me just how fragile life is. My eyes landed on a far-away point down the rows of shitty houses. Jeffrey would be in that brown worn-out house down there, with the ripped curtains in the windows. His house was at the very end, a little isolated from the others. He’d be there. Breathing. His whole existence was despicable. He could be laughing and beating up some poor dog right now. An unquenchable anger whelmed in me and urged me forwards. I step like a ghost towards his house, my vision narrowed only to him. I was cloaked by the darkness when I came, the streetlamp in front of his house flickering. Inside, all his lights were off. I see his house number, 32. It’s like a flashing red light, marking my target. He must be sleeping. I could slit his throat, feel his warm blood splatter all over me and he wouldn’t know a thing, but I need him to know. I need to see his smile fade, his eyes pleading to the Lord before I send him to hell. 

But first, the dog. I sneak along the side of the house, the familiar yard completely open to any visitors. The dog was in a tiny cage where it slept. It’s head leaned on the bars as there wasn’t even enough room for it to lie down properly. It’s back arched and I felt my own back crack, like I was the one in the cage. Now I also noticed tiny burn marks all over its body, with the size of a cigarette butt. So it wasn’t just discipline, he just liked to see the dog squirm for fun. I wanted nothing more to set it free, but the dog has seen nothing but pain and fights its whole life, with humans urging it on. No, I’ll deal with him later. I see that the cage faced a small porch, leading to a backdoor to his house. That would do, I doubt he has any alarms in here. This is- This is insane. Insane, but right. My heart pounded so hard it made my head dizzy. I thought I knew how it would feel to hunt. I've felt a hundred killers do the same, but knowing it’s me, my body, my hands sucking out a life was thrilling. Power amped up with fear. I can’t get caught, I must have the upperhand otherwise I’m screwed, my body isn’t built to wrestle. With careful steps, I sneak up to the staircase and I step on the first step. It creaks. A bolt of fear staggers me in place, my spine electrified by fear. I listened for a while, but no sounds. Okay, okay, it’s okay, it takes a lot more to wake someone up. Which is why I barely dare take the next step, but no creaking this time. I was confident when I reached the top, but just as I took my next step, my foot barges into something. A metal trash can topples over and hits the floor with a big boom, echoing out into the silent air. Oh fuckfuckfuckfuck, now that would be enough to wake someone. Why did I think I could do this?! Why didn’t I see it?! Behind me, the dog had woken up. It barks rough and agitated, aching to sink its teeth in me. It’s so loud. The house didn’t have an alarm because the dog was one, screeching out like a megaphone. Before my thoughts could even process it, a light turns on inside accompanied with rustling and creaking from the inside. He’s coming. Within my second breath, I leapt towards the mountains of boxes piled up at a corner of the porch, hiding behind it. I held my breath with every hair standing up. I’m like the first guy who dies in a horror movie, this is a terrible hiding place. The door flings open and Jeffrey stomps out, baseball bat in hand. His eyes darted around the place like he was the hunter and they stopped on me. Shit, now or never! I pull all the energy in my feet while the adrenaline surges into every muscle, but before I could launch at him, he looked over at the dog instead. He...He didn’t see me. 

“Ugh, shut up! Fucking loud ass dog, good for nothin’! Can’t even win a damn match” The man growls as he marches over to the cage, his hand holding onto the bat like it is a lifeline. Bitch, it might be a lifeline when I made my move. I hadn’t even noticed that the dog had turned mute at the sight of him. It was cowering and pressing itself up against the back of the cage, twisting its legs to get as far away as possible. The dog could have cried blood and screamed for help, but I doubt even that would stop his brute hand from pulling the dog’s chain. Jeffrey forced him out of it. A normal dog would bite back or try and run, but it was frozen in fear. It knows something worse will happen if it resists, it’s been trained for that. The monster lifts the bat over his head before it comes crashing down on the dog’s head, a heart-wrenching yelp escaping from it. That pulled the switch in me. How dare he? Who the fuck does he think he is? No more. The brewing rage in me exploded all the way to my fingertips and ignited my darkest desire. Whatever whisper of doubt that lingered had been slaughtered by the savage rage. A bursting fuse was lit and I jumped on my feet. My world was completely black except for Jeffrey. He was burning red. All I could hear was his heart pounding and the stomping of the bat was a distorted and far off sound. I don’t wanna hear it, I want to hear his heart shut up. I only want to engulf the dark world to which was the only place I felt at home. 

For me, it was like I had only blinked before I had jumped on his back. My claws teared into his throat while my head pounded, like antlers were growing out of my head. His wet choked gasp sent sparkling shivers down my groin and my hands squeezed tighter. The creature flailed his bat up to me, over and over, but I simply dodged to the side and all it hit was the air. I could smell the acidic fear flowing out of every pore and I could feel his pulse panic underneath my hand. He stumbled backwards in a desperate state and I slammed into a pole up the porch. The grunt of pain didn’t even sound human, but I embraced it fully. It was me. Despite the bruised burning in my back, I latched onto him like my fingers were hooks into his skin. There is no scenario where he slips away, there just isn’t. My fingertips were growing numb from the pressing and this guy was nothing if not relentless. He kept swaying, swinging, stumbling, slamming and spinning. It was like taming a bull, riding it until it stops resisting. Yeehaw. A sadistic snort escaped my mouth thinking it. This guy really is like a bull. I thought he would never go down, but eventually I could feel his pulse throbbing slower and slower. His swaying grew weaker and his legs were so weak we barely toppled over. I bit down on my lip as a surging storm of pleasure trickled down to my dick and the only other time I had felt so alive was when me and Hannibal took down the Dragon. I wish I could see him bite out his throat again, that was the only thing missing. My body, desires, thoughts and every part of me succumbed to the ecstasy rushing through me as his pulse was just a tiny yelp. I almost fell down with him when he fell towards the ground, but I managed to drag myself out of the wild high just in time. His limp body crashed to the ground. 

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The air around us was damp and cold. The brick walls were crumbling and barely keeping it together. The tiny window at the very end of the basement was foggy with a crushed hole in it, but there was no way to see what the inside of this would look like. They wouldn’t see the mighty art of justice that was on display in this rotten place, but I saw every detail. Pride and disgust whelmed up in me, desperately tearing each other apart as I realized: This is me. It was my hands that had choked the life out of him and disgraced him now. It was also me that freed the dog. However, I knew that it wasn’t the good deed that made me proud, it was the beautifully ugly deed. What used to be Jeffrey was now just a lump of meat hurdled together to create a masterpiece, make him into something more worthy than he could ever be. Around its neck was a filthy dog collar with spikes, the leash tied around a pipe along the wall. I’m not much of a smoker, but I didn’t mind it for this. His echoed grunts and hisses burned into my head while I stomped cigarettes butts all over him. Small burned circles covered him head-to-toe. At this point he was still furious, angry and not even that scared so I just mimicked him. 

“Fucking loud ass and good for nothin’, shut up” I remember grumbling as I found a tennis ball to shove down his mouth. Sound of teeth shattering didn’t bother me much because he was finally quiet. Wait, actually, did he ever scream? I can faintly remember burning him, but he never squirmed. His mouth never moved. His head was always swaying to the floor, he never flinched. If I cared, I’d say he was long dead before I dragged him down here, but I preferred to follow my fantasy. The suffering on his face was just as real in my head as it would have been if he actually was alive, so that would be my truth.

Now I didn’t have much chains to hook him up with, I hadn’t really prepared like Hannibal did, so I simply put a box underneath him, which forced him to be on all fours with how the leash was tightening downwards and away. Again, I scolded myself for not planning ahead, but I heated up an iron wrench before sinking it into his thigh. The sizzling of flesh and the smell reminded me of breakfast with Hannibal where the bacon cooked in the pan. A muffled scream pushed against the ball in his mouth, at least in my story. So he wasn’t dead yet. I stepped up in front him and stared into his red pleading eyes. I almost felt sorry for him as he now felt just like the dog did. Almost. Our conversation didn’t need words. Jeffrey knew what he was and so did I. He had seen me for what I am too and I showed myself without restraint.

“See?” I said hoarse right before I sliced his throat with a glass shard. Just like I had dreamed, warm blood splattered across my face and chest. His eyes popped up in fear while the pathetic life in him gushed out. Hannibal might have lifted his head, but having it hang down was more satisfying. There was no point of pleading. He had lost and was going to Hell. 

I raise to my feet and take a step back. Yes, this was right. He was the dog now. This...is my design. I take another minute to adore and relish my statue in all its glory. Like a rose blossoming from my ashes, the sound of footsteps slithered closer from behind. My head turned around to see our prophecy come true. High cheekbones sharp enough to cut and thin lips luscious enough to kiss. His lethal eyes were fixated on my work first, but then his eyes trailes to me and it was like I was the only holy thing in the world.

“It’s beautiful, Will”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we have the 3 chapter! I had planned for Hannibal to show up way sooner, but I got a bit carried away with the plot, but in the next chapter you’ll see more than enough of him ;)


	4. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannibal finally revels himself to pining Will and their quest to escape begins.

The soft voice flew to me from Hannibal’s lips and seeped into my bloodstream. I could barely hear the approaching footsteps over my pounding, yearning heart. His eyes were absorbing me now instead of my work, but he seemed just as smitten. Actually, they had an engulfing spark. He’s here. He’s really here. Did he see it all? The object of my desires stopped right in front of me and I was paralyzed. A steel layer kept me in place as everything inside of me begged to jump on him, but I was afraid. What if I touched him and he disappeared? What if he hated that? What if he gutted me, made another smile? The shrieking anxiousness bounced off every bone in my body, as if I was one step away from a cliff. However, his smooth delicate hand moved up to my cheek, a gentle thumb caressing it. All my worries melted away underneath him, my knees like damn jello. It was like that bloodied night again except there was no rain. No knife. Hannibal’s eyes didn’t cause my heart to shatter, instead my heart was spinning out of control. He brought his face closer and closer while his hand traveled up and behind to my hair and grasped my curls. I was so dizzy I thought I might pass out, but the warmth of his forehead kicked me back into this dream-like reality. Was I imagining this again? Is-Is he going to kiss me? Yes, please, kiss me, fuck, I want your lips so bad, they look so soft. I stared at his lips shamelessly, mentally drooling. Instinctively, my mouth was half-open, ready to clash against his. 

“I apologize for the wait” Hannibal utters with the most wicked glint in his eyes and leans slightly away from me. BASTARD! Damn tease, why does he dangel those delicious lips so close to me if I can’t kiss ‘em!? Infuriated, my hands grab behind his neck and claw into him to make sure he can’t escape. In my wild frenzy, I leap up to taste him, my lips latching onto his upper lip. For a split second, I regretted it. He stood frozen in shock, but then I felt him easing into it. With a much gentler passion, he kissed back. I took this as an invitation to go on a complete rampage. I sigh with want into his lips while my chest exploded with crazed desire. I dived deeper and deeper into him, our lips blurring until I couldn’t tell what was me or what was him. I savoured each wet touch, our lips clashing against each other over and over again. There was no time to breathe, I didn’t want to breathe. I wanted to devour him. My body was burning up, my dick bursting with excitement and my lips were growing sore and bruised, but I couldn’t stop. The more feral I got, the harder he kissed me back. He grabbed my waist and pulled me into him, neither of us wanting any space between us. I pressed my groin up to his and the roughest growl vibrated from his throat. Hearing that, knowing what I could do to him, was like throwing a forest into an incinerator. I had to have him, right here and right now. My hands slid down his tie until I reached the top button. Just as I was about to rip it off, his hand grabbed mine, stopping me. My lips were suddenly detached from his and I was like a baby which had its candy ripped away from it. Confused, I looked up at him, wearing a face I had never seen Hannibal use before. In between his rapid breaths, he smiled hungry, but not with any deviousness. Just...warm.

“Wh-why are you-” I mumble, sounding real sulky, while desperately trying to catch my breath, and failing might I add. 

“This is hardly the place” Hannibal answers as if this was just a bad motel and he didn’t want to get his clothes dirty. For the untrained eye, he would have seemed completely unaffected, but I saw the little twitch at the corner of his mouth. He must have lost some composure and I couldn’t help but wonder how he would look if he was completely lost in lust. Reluctantly, I release my hold on him and look around the room. The stench of blood and basement dust was really settling in now so he had a point. He slid his hands off my waist, but his eyes were as eager as ever. Intrigued to what I would say next. It was no love confession, I can promise you that. All the antagonizing waiting bubbled up to the surface and I will admit, feeling rejected contributed to my anger.

“Yeah, well, not like we’ve had any better places yet considering how long it took you” I cross my arms with an irritated frown as an accessory. I decided I wasn’t that desperate and totally not drunk on our breath-taking kiss. I pretended that there was something really important in the corner of the room.

“All good things come to those who wait” 

“Sure, but isn’t it also ‘it comes, but often comes too late’?” 

“Not in this case it would seem” He tossed his wolfish grin at me, gloating over the fact that I just straight up kissed him. I gave him an edge on me. Damn it. He then looks over at my work, just as pleased and I follow his gaze, turning my back to him to look. Oh yeah, I’m sure Alana would just blooooom of happiness over my little mischief over there. 

“I think some people might disagree on that” 

“Do you?” Hannibal lifts an eyebrow, dismantling my every move and every word like a science-project.

“No...Or, actually, a little! Did you really have to make me wait for weeks?” My feet were firmly planted, but I gave him an annoyed side-glance so he would know just how much I disapproved of our distance. My heart stooped down to my gut remembering all those lonely nights. 

“Yes, it was necessary...You know this” He looked almost sympathetic as walked up behind me and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. I took a deep breath and let his touch soothe me. It was his way of guiding me through my messy train of thoughts. Unfortunately, I did know, but I’m still allowed to be pissed about it. Yes, he needed time to find the pigs, slaughter them and guide me to one. Not to mention for me to find my own darkness, but STILL! He has no idea how fucking crazy I’ve been without him. He seemed just fine with the distance between us. Maybe he didn’t miss me as much. Just a part of his plan, I guess. A small, no BIG part of me, wanted him to ache for me like I ached for him. A teasing whisper breezed past my ear, bringing me out of my thoughts. 

“Waiting wasn’t my ideal situation, but I know we’ll find a way to make up for lost time” His voice might as well be a purr with the way my body shivered with delight. I could feel his charismatic grin hiding behind my earlobe while steam was coming out my ears. There was no way for me to hide my blush. 

“O-okay” Fuck, what do I say to that? I’m so turned on, I can’t even think. Come on, don’t be lame, say something equally sexy, but subtle. “Yeah, uhm, I’ll uh, make sure to...bang you” FUCK! Lame, totally lame! Maybe he’ll like my pathetic attempt? 

“Oh! I was alluding to the next meal we’d hunt together, but that’s good to know” Even though he sounded casual, I could hear his devious mockery underneath every word. Oh...My...God. I might as well stab myself, dig my grave and tear my own tongue out. Absolutely mortified, I shake off the hand on my shoulder and twirl around like a wild dog. He totally did that on purpose, fucking asshole. 

“Just, I- NEVER MIND! Let’s just get the hell out of here!” I storm towards the stairs. Ironically, I already needed some distance from him and his disgusting gloating. 

“What? Don’t you want to enjoy the view a little longer?” I was halfway up, but despite myself, I looked back at him. He smiles coy with his arms out, as if he was the one on display.

“No!” I continued my dramatic exit and I heard the soft footsteps of Hannibal following me into the dirty yard behind the house. 

“Will, don’t be like that. One should never be ashamed of one’s feelings” He sang teasingly after me and I span around again with the rustling of dirt beneath my feet.

“Don’t go all psychiatrist on me right now, I’m not in the mood” 

“It’s in my nature, I’m afraid. Besides, you are oh-so fascinating to analyze” 

“Okay, well, keep your nature to your goddamn self right now” I mumble as I continue with my march, walking towards the street. Maybe that was stupid considering I had just murdered someone, but at this point I’m going to be hunted anyway. Besides, I was too embarrassed to deal with him right now and too busy making my irritation come across. 

“According to yourself, you seem to like that nature as you want to, in your words, ‘bang’ me” He kept following me like a horsefly, just to tease me.

“Keep going like that and all I’ll ever do to your precious ‘nature’ is to find another cliff” 

“But Will, if you do that, then how will I give you your gift?” I stop dead in my tracks and look at him, unfortunately curious. 

“Gift?” My souring mood was turning a bit brighter, my heart all giddy at the fact he had conjured some gift for me. He’s already gifted me this, myself. Who I truly am. Even more precious than that, in some way, he’s given pieces of himself. What else could he possibly give? 

“Yes, indeed. I went through quite the hassle for it, would be a shame for you to reject it now. In any case, it could only cheer you up. ” In a sense, it felt like he was referring to something else, himself maybe. As if I would ever reject him after all this. 

“Fine” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hannibal takes me down a couple of blocks, strolling casually past the flickering lights. He didn’t seem to care much either if we were spotted. Could be that this neighborhood didn’t really care. There was probably a daily gunshot and tons of other more shady stuff here, but still I think Hannibal drew the same conclusion that I did. They would find my art sooner or later, but by that time, it would be too late. Soon enough, he stops and reveals his fancy car hidden in some desolated parking spot.

“A car?” He’s not giving me that, is he?

“Take a look inside” At his command, I step towards the window and I peer into the backseats. Nothing there so I walked to a window with a view of the trunk. I press my face to the glass and squint to see into the darkness. Two blue eyes pop out right in front of me and with a spiked fear, I jolt backwards. Angry paws claws at the window to get out and it gives a violent bark. 

“Jesus” I mumbled while I watched the hurt animal desperately defend itself, the one thing it was trained to do. It was the same pitbull in the yard, the same scars and burn marks tattooed over its body. 

“It’s hurt and corrupted, but anyone can adapt. Do you like it?” Hannibal asked with a certain excitement and stepped up next to me, his chest so painfully close to my back. His breath on my neck drilled into my skin, but I’m not completely hopeless. 

“Yeah, I do.” I approached the dog again, which also helped me to cool the fuck down. “Hey buddy, it’s okay, you’ll be okay” I say in a puppy voice and knowing Hannibal even bothered to get the dog there was enough to make me smile.

“Good because I fear for the integrity of my car, but at least it helped cheer you up” Looking back at him, he wore a smile sweet enough to be mistaken for compassion. He really is handsome with that. A part of me secretly hoped I was the only permitted to see that side of him.

“How did you even get it here?” 

“By pure determination...And a few scratches” A brewing worry washed over me and looked down at his sleeves. They were slightly torn, which wouldn’t bother me much, but for his standards it was probably disastrous for his outfit. I couldn’t see much blood, so he can’t be too hurt. We should still probably patch it up though, it could get infected and-

“Will, I’m fine.” I finally snatch my eyes away from his sleeve and look up at him, still sceptical. What does he know about dog scratches anyway? This is probably the first time he’s been within a 100 yard of a dog.

“Huh, you say that now, but I doubt that dog has shiny clean paws” My mouth contorts to a sarcastic smile and I push away any images of Hannibal dying from an infection. Not like a creature like Hannibal could be slayed like that, but-

“I will, of course, disinfect it when we get out of here. That said, I’d rather not stick around more than necessary” With that, he walks over to the passenger door and opens it, gesturing for me to get in. I’m not your lady mistress going home from a date, which kinda annoyed me. Yet, it thrilled me a little too, the thought of us dating and for gestures like that to be a common thing. Okay, so I have debated this long enough and decide to give him the pleasure of swooping into the car. He checks that all my hands and feet are inside the car, to which I bring out my jazz-hands to prove, and he sits down in the driver seat. The dog had calmed a little, but still barked and complained in the back.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We’re official on the road! I still had no idea where we were headed, but Hannibal seemed to be driving determined. I was about to ask him when I remembered. Fuck, I’m such a damn mess. First I almost forgot about the dog and now this! With Hannibal in my view, all I can think about is how illegally good he looks. Hell, he could be covered in mud and probably get featured in some fancy clock commercial. 

“What is it?” There’s no way to hide anything from Hannibal, although I probably didn’t hide my worry very well to begin with. 

“The cops. I’m in a motel room right now, or so they think” I squirmed uncomfortable and bit down the nail on my thumb. 

“I see...Do you intend to go back?” 

“I mean, I was planning to, but-” 

“New factors came into play?” He gave one of those quick crooked smiles, always accompanied when he was being playful. 

“You know they did” Restless, I slam my head back to the car seat with a sigh. “If I’m suddenly gone, it will raise suspicion. Well, they’re already suspicious so in that case it might only sour if I do go back” 

“In other words, this might be the best chance you got” 

“Maybe, but it might be easier for us to get around if I’m in the clear” 

“If you can come up with a plausible reason for being away for a while, that could work in our advantage” He gave me an almost grim look and it suddenly hit me. I’m not even doubting this anymore, this ‘game’ of us. We’re eloping together, it’s only a matter of how and when. 

“That is assuming I could become trustworthy again. That could take...time” I string the last word out, afraid to make it a reality. Time has become my nemesis as it only tears me apart, when I am alone at least. 

“That is...unfortunate, but-” 

“No, no buts! I won’t waste any more time!” I won’t be separated again by something as trivial as time, no way. It will take divine intervention to keep us apart, like Achielles and Patroclus. “I don’t want to spend another night imagining you shot and bleeding out in a ditch somewhere!” I only got more and more fired up, ready to throw hands with time if need be. In return, Hannibal only stares at me fascinated before cracking a smile

“You worry about me” 

“Of course I fucking worry about you” That came out more truthful than intended, but fuck it. He already knows. 

“I’m touched, but alas, you must trust in my abilities. I won’t let anything like that happen” 

“Not even you can control a bullet” 

“No, but I have control to never end up in a situation where a bullet would hit me” I couldn’t keep my distrusting snort away. 

“Right because you had full control when the Dragon shot you” Hannibal takes a deep breath, smearing his face with patience. 

“When you’re around I do seem to end up in rather... unusual situations for me.” He says and looks at me with those enchanting eyes, like it’s my fault he’s a murderer. Yet, looking beneath that again, he looked as if he would be willing to get in any kind of situation for me. Or maybe I’m just imagining this, wishful thinking perhaps, but his eyes were so pure. Pure enough for me to succumb to his whims. He looks back onto the road and oh yeah, I hadn’t even answered him yet! 

“You’re, uh, you’re welcome” I clear my throat awkwardly and shift closer to the window, my heart screaming excited. If Hannibal looking at me is enough for me to lose my head then this ain’t gonna go well for me. Still, I wanted to enjoy him from afar. His slender fingers wrapped around the steering wheel caught my attention. He even makes driving seem sexual...Or maybe it’s just me acting like a horny teenager, but I’d jump in his lap if he told me to. Damn it, now I gotta look at his thighs. They were perfectly big, not super jacked, but sturdy. Fine-tuned underneath his tight pants and now I regret not taking a big squeeze before when I had the chance. Well, I could do it now? Or is that weird? Are we at that stage yet or- 

“Which motel are you staying in then?” At the sound of his voice, I throw my eyes away from his lap and pray he never saw me checking him out. Wait…I look back annoyed.

“Doesn’t matter! I’m not going back… They’ll probably just jail me anyhow, that’s what they usually do” I grumble like an old grandpa with a grudge towards authority, crossing my arms. Hannibal was like the tired grandson, sighing to my rambling. 

“But Will, this might be the best course of action” 

“No! Okay, maybe, but…” I straighten my back up and lean closer to him, my skin aching to feel him. Slow, as if petting a lion, I put my hand on his knee. God I was tempted to go higher, but my eyes already screamed terrified. Why can’t he see that I just can’t be without him? “I want to, no need, to go with you now. Not next week, not tomorrow. Now...Hannibal, please” I give him my best lost puppy dog eyes while I held my breath and he was having an inner debate. With another sigh, his hand grabs mine and his fingers intertwined with mine. A violent thunder in my chest threatened to break free when I dared to squeeze back. Oh my god, we’re like an actual couple. Driving and holding hands. If I was alone right now, I’d dance of joy. 

“Then we’ll leave now. For your sake and for mine” Oh right, we were having a serious discussion. Which I won with my ‘please’.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow. This place was perfect. Isolated like it hated any human-contact, just like me. We were standing outside a humble wooden cottage, with frost creeping up the windows. Beyond it, huge pine trees were guarding over it while the lake next to it made it look like a landscape painting. The sound of the gentle waves hitting the shore created a truly peaceful haven for two murderers like us. I looked over at Hannibal and there was a contrast between this peaceful place and him, the graceful deer engulfed in dark flames. The deer is known to tear up a place with its antlers, but it would never do so unintentionally. Actually, he loved this kind of thing. Classical music, art and anything that reflected a virtue. I’d call it snobby, he’s snobby, but at least it suits him. The sun was rising, stroking its beams across the water with Hannibal in front of it. Of course he’s in the center, everything else just to add to his stupid perfect cheekbones and stupid perfect smile and stupid perfect body. I will never admit I just imprinted that image in my head. With that gnawing at my mind, I walk up the wooden stairs and up to the front door. 

“This is nice. Hard to find...Unless you have it under ‘Hannibal Lecter, FBI Most Wanted’” I shot him a playful look. He walks up behind me with the key, unlocking it with perfect precision. Why is he so perfect? 

“No, I put it down as ‘Jack Crawford’” He says casually and opens the door for me to enter, but I was struggling to get my jaw off the floor. 

“J-Jack? No, you fucking didn’t” 

“Didn’t I?” There was that awful, but irresistible grin again, my fragile heart bursting as easy as that. I mumbled curses under my breath as I went past the threshold, accepting whatever was inside. Whatever Hannibal was ready to give me. 

First hour went to just settling in, getting our stuff in, putting wood in the fireplace and tricking the dog inside one of the rooms with some meat… I didn’t even bother asking if it was pig or not because the dog seemed to like it either way. Exhaustion had been waiting in ambush all this time and it decided it was time to strike. I collapsed on a rustic couch in front of the fire, all energy drained from me. I would have fallen asleep right then and there if Hannibal hadn’t sat down beside me. He’s so close, our thighs are resting up to each other. The exhaustion retreated from its attack as my lust-crazed panic came swooping for backup. I realized I hadn’t ever seen him tired before, but I could see the blue bags shaping underneath his eyes. Not that I can judge, I probably look ten times worse. 

“We should be fine here for a little while. Our passes should be fine within a few days” 

“Yeah, good...Where to?” 

“I want to surprise you” Hannibal doesn’t smile, but his hazel brown eyes were. He does love to surprise me, be it a nice vacation resort or a knife. 

“When it comes to escaping the police, I don’t really feel like being surprised. I want to be prepared” Anxious, I lean forward and pick up the poker, fidgeting with the fire. I can’t be within one meter of him without my brain turning to rambling mosh. I’m useless like that. 

“And you are. Where we go doesn’t matter” 

“As long as we’re together?” I glanced up at him, flashing an uncertain smile.Is he really going to go that cliche? Is it lame that I want him to? Me and him against the rest of the world. That’s also cliche, but it got my blood pumping with excitement. 

“Yes...And that there is Chianti and decent culture” Ha, there it is. I snort unflattering.

“Of course, I wouldn't want to miss any culture or chanti or whatever” At that, Hannibal’s brows dig further down and the smile from his eyes are gone. 

“Chianti” He corrects me, but I can’t resist. I can’t believe he gets that mad over some fancy-ass wine. 

“That’s what I said” I lie the poker back down and lean into the couch, which also meant I felt his legs and right arm graze me again. As a rush of adrenaline surged in me, I couldn’t help but think of how slutty my body is. Get it together. 

“No, it wasn’t. Do I need to expand your lexicon? If you’re going to be sprouting things like that in public, I could never take you outside” 

“That sounds like a win-win to me” 

“But I want you to evolve your culture palette and it would be much more fun with you” This was fun enough for me. Just me and him, sitting close, snuggling up next to a fire, me mocking his snobby ass. He noticed my amusement and sighed. “What am I to do with you?” Hannibal looks at me and for a brief second, his eyes dash down my chest and groin. That bubble of ever-growing feral desire ruptured and infested every muscle. With my brain going haywire, I gather some courage. With a devious smile I squirm closer and face him, peering into his eyes. I want to see behind that layer on his eyes, how wild they would be when, or if, he ever pounded into me, or me into him. Wait, how would we do that? Would he insist or-? Fuck, it doesn’t matter as long as I can see him unravel because of me. 

“I don’t know, what do you want to do?” I answer with a smooth flirtatious tone and I could might as well have batted my eyelashes by how much I tried to charm him. I could see a fire crackling in him. Did I succeed?Judging by his intrigue, he was for sure scheming something. With a gentle hand, he brushed his fingers into my hair, playing with the messy tips of my curls. He smiled now, just as devious as me. The maddening urge to ravage his lips was overwhelming and the tension of want swirled around us.

“That’s also a surprise” His voice went low and rough, like a double bass. God, when did he become such a tease? I groan frustrated out of my mind and squirm a little away, snatching my head away from his hand. Punishment, that’s what you get for that. No touchie. 

“How are we going to conquer Troy if everything is a surprise?” Hannibal huffs out a smile by that and lets his hand fall into his lap, accepting his punishment. Good. 

“Well, not everything…” The tension shifted to a more serious one as Hannibal stiffened. “Will, are you truly ready for this?” 

“To conquer? Yeah” I snickered lightly as my high-strung adrenaline declined. Hopes of touching him today didn’t seem very likely. “Are you?” 

“Yes, I have been from the first moment I laid my eyes on you” I grimaced into a red sceptical smile. 

“Really now? The very first?” 

“Would I lie to you?” God…

“No, you’re more likely to manipulate me away from the truth and make me believe a more convenient version” 

“You were never convenient, Will” I flickered with confusement, but I suppose he was right. It would be easier for him to never involve me, never help me explore whatever darkness I harvested deep inside. He continued, stepping carefully as if it was minefield.

“I...There were, admittedly, better ways to pursue you, but neither path would benefit me, not realistically. But I did it anyway because the prize was worth the risk. In that way, I guess you could say that even though no path benefitted me, there was one ending to a path that would, even if it does give me a weakness” I could feel myself crumble underneath the smoldering intensity of his eyes, the words a warm blanket wrapping me up and tightening me up in a nice burrito. Shit, my face is burning. Always so damn riddel-y, but I was good at those. He went to an insane asylum for me. I’m his weakness...But I’d also so like to be his strength just like he is mine. Flooded with sudden bravery, I snuggle close again. This was like damn tango (when isn't it a tango with us?), but right now I wanted to be close with him. I reach my hand out to take a loose strand of hair and push it back. It wasn’t romantic as I wished as his hair was too short to actually nest it behind his ear, but I fixed it sort of. Now this was embarrassing so I tossed my hand back and cleared my throat nervously.

“So you, uhm, got what you wanted, but with a catch?” Hannibal chuckles like I’ve never seen him chuckle before. So carefree, not painted in the usual deviousness. 

“That’s a simpler way to put it, yes. You’re a fisherman, you must be well familiar with getting a catch?” A dancing grin played on his lips while he gave me a very non-subtle wink. It shouldn’t make my heart leap into the skies, but it did. I huff out a groany smile, but I decided to play along.

“Oh yeah, I’ve gotten some pompous fish on my bait before, I’ll tell ya that much” 

“It’s good bait” Hannibal says matter-of-factly and I laugh whole-heartedly. It felt good to laugh with him and not the usual stabbing it would involve. However, our good mood was quickly destroyed by the sound of my phone going off. We exchange some suspicious look before I fumble it out of my pocket. The name of the caller brightened up my screen and I didn’t know if I should answer. Jack...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone <3 Hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's a little different perhaps, but at least Hannibal is in the picture now!


	5. Tending to the meat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut, lots of smut

I’m not sure how long I stared at the screen, but Hannibal’s steady hand grabbing my shoulder woke me up from the trance. Alright, fuck. It’s not like I should be surprised, I’m fully aware I faked being in that motel and then intentionally not coming back. All part of my plan...So why haven’t I thought of this? It’s all Hannibal’s fault. 

“It’s up to you” He says with a glimmer of curiosity, no doubt testing what I will do, what I’ll come up with. Is he still worried I’ll betray him? It’s like every move I make is fascinating and worthy of applause...I kind of do want his applause, those sweet impressed eyes and his rewarding touch. I take a deep breath and answer the damn thing. 

“Heya, Jack” God, can I sound more awkward? You’d think I’d gotten better at thinking and acting like a killer when I have spent so much time doing just so. 

“‘Heya’? Don’t you ‘heya’ me. I’m getting tired of asking this, where the fuck are you?” 

“Uhm…” Briefly, I peeked up at Hannibal like the solution was buried in his face. In return, the corner of his lips twitches, nudging me forward. Encouraging me as if training a dog. God, he is so stunning. I wonder what he’ll do if I kissed him now...Or told Jack the truth. I haven’t seen him properly shocked yet, I want to. 

“Will! Are you in danger?” Jack’s words seemed to be of worry, but coated with agitation. I need to stop plunging myself into Hannibal’s alluring eyes, into his depths. 

“Yeah, eh, no! I’m okay, I’m okay. I went to…” I cleared my throat, pretending this was my being vulnerable. “...see Mary” For a second, he’s completely silent. Do I have to elaborate?

“Mary? Wh-what, why? You know how dangerous things are and you go visit your wife? You want her to end up on the menu too?” That brought a rise out of Hannibal, his chest rising once while he took a breath. He squirms closer, his hand stroking from my shoulder to the back of my neck, a finger circling playfully on my skin. It was like he could smell blood, a delicious meat sizzling in the oven. I close my eyes and clench harder around the phone in response to the stream of excitement zapping down my spine. 

“N-no, of course not” I let out an airy half sigh, half chuckle, desperately whipping my urges back in place. “I didn’t actually meet with her, I just wanted to make sure she was safe and-” I was pouring my lies out and hanging it out in the open when another sneaking finger trailed down my neck and to my collarbone. As easy as pressing a light-switch, Hannibal unbuttoned the top of my shirt, exposing more territory for him to play with it. God, why now? You could have done this hours ago, but now you need to touch me? He’s doing it on purpose, claiming his prey in front of any threats. Jack, Molly...He was jealous. 

“And she is! I’ve got men there to make sure she is, just like I did for you, but you’re allergic to my protection it seems” His words were just messy yabbering, white noise, drowned out by the cathartic beast clinging to me/savouring me/marking me. Suddenly, his strong nose brushed on my ear, his maw achingly close to me and his breath flying into my skin. The lust-starved addict in me took the reins and I pressed my ear and neck against his lips. With my other free-hand, I cling to his neck and hair, pushing him even harder up against me. With his lips digging into my skin, a yearning low sigh trickled out my mouth and I almost forgot Jack. 

“Mhmm, yeah...I’m...I’m allergic alright” Damn you, Hannibal, as if I am not struggling enough as it is. To completely unhinge me, his teeth picked at my neck, pulling slightly while his firm hand, soft as silk, presses up against my chest and slides down. My body absorbed every inch of where it traveled. On its ravaging path, it unbuttoned the rest of my shirt until my chest was revealed. His hand rested on top of the buckle on my belt and I instinctively thrust my hip up, begging him to tear it off. Hips don’t lie as they say. Of course he doesn’t rip it off, he’s marinating me, doughing the meat to be proper tender first. He leans away from my neck and stares at me, diving into my eyes driven wild by desires. His eyes penetrate my every defense. Fuck, the way he looks at me. So eager, so determined, so hungry. As if he was suddenly taken by his own urges, he cups a hold of my swelling cock, rubbing at it. Another moan chokes up in my throat and I bite down on my lip to trap it. 

“I need you to be honest with me. I know Mary didn’t see you. Will, do you know something? This is not the time to go rogue. Do you know where Hannibal is?” I sure do, Jack, he’s sucking on my skin and driving me insane and it feels so fucking good… I probably shouldn’t say that. I’d love to give a proper answer, but Hannibal stole my words. His hand was relentless, stroking my bulge slowly and teasingly while I spiralled higher and faster, burning up like Icarus. A long, soothing kiss on my shoulder gave me a flash of reality, which is that I am still holding the damn phone. 

“I-” As I opened my mouth, the kiss transformed into a vicious bite, his teeth sinking into my skin. I yelp surprised at the stinging sensation. The pain elevated the pleasure and I dug my nails into his neck. Yeah, bite me, eat me, take me, ravage me, do anything you want, just don’t stop, please-

“Will?” The strictness of Jack’s voice was gone, only confusion and horror left. Hannibal got his wish, Jack heard me. Where his teeth feasted on me had left red marks, bleeding lightly down my shoulder. It must have satisfied him somewhat as retreated and kissed the marks instead. Does he like the taste of me? A shivering, corrupt thrill unraveled in my chest, but I couldn’t bring myself to hate the thought of him taking pieces of my flesh. 

“Will?!” Jack interrupted us once again, a harsh thorn threatening to burst this etopia of ours. Before I could even think of an answer, Hannibal snatched the phone out of my hand and pressed it up to his ear. Nononono.

“Will is preoccupied at the moment, but we’ll be in touch” If Jack was stunned into silence we’d never know as Hannibal simply hanged up and put the phone on the couch next to him. What I do know is that I was stunned to silence. The only thing I could hear and feel was the throbbing of my dick, still aching for his hand. He gives me the most smug smile I’ve ever seen while his hand presses up against my groin again. 

“Where were we?” Hannibal’s voice is painted in fake confusion while he was still rubbing on my bulge. I just want this pants off, all off, I don’t want to think about the consequences of what Hannibal just did. 

“You know exactly where we were” And so does Jack probably, but I really couldn’t give one fuck about that. Consumed by an overwhelming lust, I leaped into Hannibal’s lap and clinged my arms around his neck. He didn’t even flinch, he simply grabbed my waist and hoisted me down on his groin and fuck. He was as hard as I was. 

“Enlighten me” He growls, leaning closer with that dangerous mouth of his. Instinctively, I dived into his wet lips, my tongue eager to explore his. It was a taste of iron since his lips had a trace of blood on them, my blood, but it only sent me railing down further my hungry frenzy. The slick sound of our lips devouring each other filled the room together with dark sigh and moans. The perfect burning symphony. I was so desperate to tear off his buttons that it turned out clumsy, but I wasn’t going to give him time to stop me again. Meanwhile, I kept grinding on his hard dick, my body pulsating with a craving thirst. Hannibal squirmed out of his shirt, the forbidden skin underneath finally exposed. I take a second to absorb it, his fine-toned abs and the curly grey hair branching from his stomach to his chest, trailing out a little to his arms. Almost like an angel spreading their wings. Mesmerized, I slide a hand up his chest, feeling the hair graze around my fingers and his hot skin leeching into my hand. Our eyes met and his smug attitude had vaporized. His eyes were soft and vulnerable, as if he was afraid I’d be disgusted by him. Not that this was obvious, but I could see deeper into him than anybody. I had only seen him so fragile once. With a small comforting smile, I leaned down and rain a waterfall of kisses over his chest. His chest heaved while my lips stroked their down to the lower region of his stomach. A big hand buried itself into the back of my hair, stroking me, encouraging me. I peered up to him and he smiled like the sun. It was blinding and burning and I didn’t want it any other way. More inspired than ever, I hastily unbuckle his belt, but I was so rushed and frantic I couldn’t get the damn thing off. 

“Fucking…” I mumbled under my breath as I struggled, having an angry staring competition with a buckle. 

“Let me” Two firm hands grab my wrists and I dejectedly gave up. I plopped back into his lap, giving him space enough to work it out himself, but things rarely go the way I plan. As swift as the wind, he squeezed my thighs and tossed me to the side like a ragdoll. I land on the couch with a heavy grunt, my legs wide apart and open to any intruder. Thank god I wasn’t completely naked yet, I’d be mortified. However, Hannibal swooped in between them, standing on his knees and I heard metal clinking against each other. There he stood, great and divine while he unbuckled his belt, letting his pants slide off. He took my breath away. 

“Damn…” I sighed wanting to the sight and all those days and nights I had used to imagine him really did put it to shame. He was so much hotter than I could have dreamed of. His cock pranced proudly and unapologetic, fuck, I want to feel him inside of me. When I bit down on my lips, Hannibal tore off my belt and stripped me off my pants, and I let him without any complaints. Shit, I don’t look half as good as he does. A blush crept onto my cheeks and I looked away, burying my face into the inside of my elbow. I couldn’t see, but I felt his dick rub against mine, his chest grazed mine, his breath trickled into my neck. He pressed his body to mine, submerging our skin and flesh to one. 

“Don’t. You’re beautiful” His hand gently grabbed the arm over my face, lightly pulling it aside. Crippled by embarrassment, I looked up at him, feeling like he could carve into me and there was nothing I could do about it. Hell, I’d like it, but like it or not, I was under his spell. I let him see me just like he had let me see him. His mouth rammed into mine, his captivating lips destroying any embarrassment I had. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my arms around his neck and lifted myself up to his body. We were engulfed in flames, the world crashing around us. The world only me and Hannibal existed in. Our burning, crashing, damning world, our paradise. My lips were tingling, my dick was throbbing as it rubbed against his and our prophecy was coming true. So that’s why when he pulled away I left out complaining grunt, frowning at him. He didn’t say a word, he simply leaned down to the floor where our clothes were and came back up, a bottle in hand...Lube. Right. Smart and so...real. I was prepared for him to pound me raw, but Hannibal wanted me to like it. Pure pleasure. Probably a better idea, but all I cared about was hearing him moan, feel him throb and see his usual stoic face twist with pleasure. I’ll make damn sure he does. 

“You need to be stretched and warmed up first. Just relax” My emotions had clearly swept through my face as he could read me so easily. He poured some of the lube onto his fingers, elegantly so, before tossing the bottle away again. 

“Right.” I mumble uncertain, taking a deep breath to at least pretend I was trying to relax. How am I supposed to relax with you around? Hannibal puts a lubed finger up to my entrance, swirling a finger around. I inhale sharply through my teeth as I prepare myself, clenching to sides of the couch. Slow and gentle, a finger slides up my hole, my inside walls hugging to it tight. I gasp yearningly as an excited wave wash over me, this sensation completely new to me. 

“You’re very tight.” He says intrigued and almost...impressed? 

“Well, it’s not my fault” 

“No, but breathe. Try and loosen up your muscles” I am breathing! Yet, I try and take another deep breath, resisting the urge to clench anything. His finger starts to twirl around inside me until the tip hits one sweet spot. A particular pathetic moan leaps out of me, my body tensing up as he keeps rubbing that one spot. God, that feels fucking good. I squirm underneath him, tossing my head to the side from the sparkling pleasure. When I didn’t think it could feel better, his other hand wraps around my cock, stroking it up and down slowly.

“Ready for more?” He stops for a second and looks at me with want, waiting for approval. A rare thing. 

“Do it” A second finger slides in, my entrance widening at his behest. My whole body was his playground. His fingers controlled me like a puppet, making me burst into flames. How do I even look? I’m writhing under him, my cheeks red, my hair messy and breathing like I was running a marathon. I pushed my hips up against his hand, begging for his fingers to dig deeper, to hit that sweet spot harder and faster. 

“Fuck, right there” I moan out, shamelessly thrusting into his hand. A wicked smile paints his face right before he pulls his fingers out, leaving my hole open and pounding.

“I think you’re ready. Let me know if you want to stop” Hannibal grabs one of my thighs and bent it upwards, spreading me out even more. With my leg on his shoulder, he crawls on top of me with the tip of his dick teasing my entrance. 

“Just fuck me already” I growl almost agitated, like an animal having it’s meat ripped away from it. I looked at him and the gentle man from before was gone. Maybe I should be careful of what I wish for. Then again, I was never really careful. A beast of lust took charge over Hannibal when in one strong thrust, his cock barged a way through me, shaping my walls to fit him. The rough grunting sound swimming out of him was worth the stinging pain. Helpless, I dig my nails into his back while throwing my head back, the pain blurring with the intoxicating pleasure. His dick slides slowly out of me, smooth and wet, before pounding all the way in again. 

“Ah! Fuck, that-that-mmm” I whimper with desire while his cock filled me to the brim. He thrusts into me again, not giving me time to breathe. I squeeze my eyes shut to the ever growing thrills ravaging my body. The pain was still there, but now the pain elevated the pleasure, a surging lust coursing through my veins and down to my groin. Hannibal plunged into a passionate kiss, sloppy and wet. His tongue rubbing against mine, but all I could do was moan desperately into his lips. Another thrust sends me spinning, my head dazed and empty while my body squirmed to the pleasure. 

“Do I- Do I feel good, Will?” Hannibal grunts through his heavy pants. I see him. His cheeks a light pink, his usual perfect hair had tufts of hair standing out and he wore a slight frown. He’s unraveling. Beyond the sexual pleasure, a warm yearning tugged at my chest. He’s showing me another side, a side only I could see, that only I was privileged to see. The tide rising in my heart spiked as he pounded into me again with his dick throbbing inside of me. 

“Yes, yes, you feel fucking good, ah, don’t stop, don’t-” My impulsive hand clawed into the back of his neck, deliberatly messing up more of his hair. It was strangely satisfying. While he thrusted into me without mercy, his lips brushed against my skin and his steamy rough moans itched into my skin. The sound of our groins smashing together danced around us and for every time he stabbed into me, my embarrassingly moans grew louder and louder. My dick was leaking precum on my stomach and it smeared onto his stomach, but it only made him go faster. He’s hitting so goddamn deep, he’s tearing me up. Yeah, fuck me, ravage me, pound into me, fuck me senseless, bite- As if he had heard me, sharp teeth gnawed at my shoulder, the pain piercing through the pleasure. I was sealing a deal with the Devil, my soul a cheap price to pay for this drug, for Hannibal. I succumbed to him completely and every wild urge manifesting in my body, letting every dark thrilling pleasure possess me. I was his wind-up toy and he kept turning my key, over and over again, pushing my body to dance to the overwhelming pleasure. I’m so close, fuck, I don’t want it to end.

“Don’t resist it. Cum” As his command left his words, I clung to him. His low grunt was now almost as desperate as mine, his face twitching and unwinding to me. Yeah, cum for me too, don’t hold back, let me feel, let me know you completely. 

“H-Hannibal!” I scream with desire and sighing want. We were leaping off the cliff together, diving into the ocean, drowning in ecstasy. Every pore submerged with his water, my hole throbbing and clenching around his cock. My muscles spasm as the white light sparked down every inch to my groin, my toes curl and I twist my head side to side. I felt his blessed hot load pump into me. I was his, he was mine. That was the last push before my dick exploded, bursting out all over both of our chests. 

Two sweaty bodies heaved while they struggled to find air. His heavy hairy chest crumbled on top of me and his head nestled against my neck. Our bodies were glued together, conjoined, blurred, one. I was sore all over and my eyes were blinded by his big cock still throbbing inside of me. I turn my head to him and plant a weak, gentle kiss on his cheek, my way of thanking him. He perks up at that and leaves his hand to caress my cheek. His eyes twirled at the heat of a million suns, his smile so warm it scorched my soul. Who even is he? What is he? He’s an angel, a devil, a god, a human, my dark, my light, he’s Hannibal, he’s me. Without him, I’d be lost forever, doomed to walk this earth alone in a fake shell of Will Graham. He set me free. I love him. Peering into his eyes, I wondered if he was thinking the same. Regardless, he sealed my confession with his lips, kissing me as sweet as blood underneath the moonlight. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I lied limp, submerged in the bath and let the hot water lick my sore body. I leaned backwards to feel Hannibal’s chest, my head resting on his shoulder. It was a tight fit, his legs were almost hanging out of it, but he didn’t seem to mind much. His slick soap-stained hands kneaded into my shoulder, down my arms, across my chest. This was like a luxury hotel. Do they have people who do that there? Probably not, but I wouldn’t know. I sigh content, enjoying every sensation just in case I would wake up drenched in sweat in my bed again. We really are like a couple now, taking a bath together, no obvious ulterior motive hiding and waiting to ambush. Just realizing that propelled my heart back to the skies.

“You don’t have to wash me, you know? I have actually cleaned myself from time to time” I say with a playful smile, tracing a finger up his arm. 

“Yes, but this is the only way I can be certain that your atrocious aftershave disappears...You’re not stopping me” He cups a hand under the water and washes off some soap on my shoulder. 

“Not yet” I look up at him deviously, but he and I both know that I won’t stop him. I don’t want to stop him, his hands are so soft and soothing. 

“Not ever” He whispered, a smile flowing briefly across his lips. God, cocky much? I can’t say he hasn’t earned it, but still I can stop him if I want to...Like I could have stopped him when he talked to Jack...Probably, I was just shocked. 

“Okay, Mr.Arrogant, but that doesn’t mean you have to go and do stupid, risky shit just for the fun of it” 

“I would never.” Right, not like he let me throw us off a cliff or speak to Jack or anything. His whole life is one big risk. I couldn’t hide my snort before he continued. “I don’t do ‘stupid, risky shit’, I do calculated decisions to see what happens...Because it’s fun” I rubbed my temples with a deep sigh before I continued. 

“I’m sure you had a blast talking to Jack, but you put a fire under his ass” 

“Is that such a bad thing?” Hannibal’s wicked grin wrapped red tight strings around my beating heart and the strings squeezed around it. The strings are completely in his control. “Besides, I don’t recall you objecting to it at the time” No, I was a little busy by you trying to devour me at the time, the distraction deliberate. 

“It kinda is a bad thing, Hannibal! You just made our escape that much harder” 

“Maybe, but I also made it a little more interesting” I sigh while I heard the police sirens shrieking behind us, Jack slamming his car over both of us. I can’t let that happen. 

“Is that what you’re gonna call it?” I raise a sceptical eyebrow at him. 

“That’s what it is. Stop worrying, Will. Whether I had talked to Jack or not, the result would have been the same” 

“Which is cleaning me?” His hands stopped rubbing me and instead grabbed my arms tight. 

“That and like I’ve said before, it would take divine intervention to stop us. Jack isn’t divine in any way” 

“I assume you have some amazing plan that doesn’t involve anything divine then?” 

“Yes. Now try and enjoy the bath instead. I know that using proper soap must be somewhat of a culture-shock for you, but relax” His hands started to stroke me again and I nested my head back into his neck again. 

“Soap is soap.” A comfortable silence fell between us, but my mind wouldn’t shut up. Before I met him, we lived two different lives, universes apart. Yet, our stars collided and exploded into each other. Talk about star-crossed lovers. “To be honest, you’re the culture-shock” 

“As you are for me. However, we have already adjusted to each other. Mentally and physically” I turned completely around this time. I needed to look into his eyes. 

“Just two cultures smashed, or rather banged, together, huh?” Hannibal sighs at the way I phrased it, but with a hidden adored smile. Not gonna lie, it was satisfying. 

“Yes, you’re not wrong” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“No way! You gotta be kidding me.” Zeller bursts out shocked while he watches the surveillance footage. A familiar man with a high brown coat and high cheekbones enters a pharmacy, leaving with a small bag. 

“It’s him! At least Jack got some lead on him” Price chimes in next to him. 

“Why does it feel like you’re going to add ‘but’ there?” 

“But, according to the clerk...He bought lube” Price says to which Zeller returns with confusion.

“Didn’t Jack say Hannibal was with Will?” 

“Yep. There is no doubt about that” They looked at each other underneath the medical light of the laboratory, mechanical wheels of revelation turning in their heads. 

“Why would he-” Zeller’s eyes pop wide open, just like Price’s did when he first found out. However now, Price only looked constipated. “Wait, noo...It actually, THEY actually-” 

“Yep...”

“I knew it! I knew they had a thing! God, how long do you think that has been going on?” Zeller grabbed his shoulder frantically while obvious clues of the two reeled past his eyes. 

“Beats me, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it started on the very first day. Putting each other in jail and trying to kill each other is a typical sign of serial killer lover quarrel” Price might be slightly traumatized by the fact, but it was also signs of excitement. 

“Will isn’t a killer though?” 

“He is escaping with him?! He gotta be something of the sort, pretty sure Will had a thing for him before all that though” 

“Could it be a hostage type situation? Will might need our help” 

“Yeah, unless he doesn’t. If they’ve been a thing for a while, would it be so strange?” Zeller sighs, rubbing his stubbles stressed. 

“We gotta tell Jack, don’t we?” 

“We should…” They exchange a glance, neither of them willing to take the first step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it was a little short and in the next chapter, there will be more than just smut! Then it's time for some action and plot ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys so I'm late for this fandom, but I'm joining ship anyway! This is the first fanfiction I've ever dared to publish! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it and I will come with updates each week! Please let me know what you think in the comments or dm me. I'm happy to receive whatever critique you have and I'll try and improve as much as I can ;)


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